84 m. ago How Palmeiras and Flamengo became South America’s football superpowers

Libertadores Cup final sees the latest chapter in a rivalry that is dominating the continent thanks to European levels of funding and player recruitmentTo the surprise of few and the despair of many, it will be either Palmeiras or Flamengo lifting the Copa Libertadores trophy on Saturday at Lima’s Estadio Monumental. With this year’s final, one of these two Brazilian giants will have won five of the last seven editions, a run that underlines how both clubs have transformed themselves into South American super clubs, reshaping the competitive landscape in the process.Yet this final is more than another chapter in Brazil’s dominance, broken only by River Plate’s 2018 triumph in the past nine years. It marks the latest peak in a decade-long evolution that has seen Palmeiras and Flamengo grow into institutions with European-scale reach, resources and expectations. Their rise has altered the logic of the Libertadores itself, its transfer market, its competitive balance, even its sense of...

Politics

12 h. ago Wild football brawl sees 17 MEN sent off as police use tear gas to break things up

Chaotic scenes unfolded following a football match in Bolivia as a brawl broke out and 17 people were sent off at full-time as terrifying scenes of violence ruin cup game

Events

16 h. ago A Musician’s Map of Kentucky: Distilleries, dance halls and dramatic landscapes

Musician Chris Abell of the Lowlane Ramblers takes viewers on a homegrown tour of Kentucky, starting with the places that shaped him. From storied bourbon distilleries and intimate tasting rooms to the iconic bluegrass venues, he traces the roots of the state’s sound and spirit. His journey stops at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in his hometown of Owensboro, where the heritage of the genre lives and breathes.

Events

27 h. ago Cuddling capybaras and ogling otters: the problem with animal cafes in Asia

A boom in places offering petting sessions is linked to a rise in the illegal movement of exotic and endangered species, say expertsThe second floor of an unassuming office building in central Bangkok is a strange place to encounter the world’s largest rodent. Yet here, inside a small enclosure with a shallow pool, three capybaras are at the disposal of dozens of paying customers – all clamouring for a selfie. As people eagerly thrust leafy snacks toward the nonchalant-looking animals, few seem to consider the underlying peculiarity: how, exactly, did this South American rodent end up more than 10,000 miles from home, in a bustling Asian metropolis?Capybara cafes have been cropping up across the continent in recent years, driven by the animal’s growing internet fame. The semi-aquatic animals feature in more than 600,000 TikTok posts. In Bangkok, cafe customers pay 400 baht (£9.40) for a 30-minute petting session with them, along with a few meerkats and Chinese bamboo rats. Doors are...

Politics

37 h. ago Putin and Trump's pincer movement on South America as 'troops build up' on border

Putin has sent one of his top military officials to Venezuela, alongside several hundred military personnel to train the Venezuelan army on army tactics

Politics

42 h. ago Trump threatens Venezuela’s Maduro with ‘the easy way or the hard way’

Venezuela president vows to defend ‘every inch’ of the country amid military buildup in CaribbeanA visual guide to the US military presence in the CaribbeanDonald Trump has warned Nicolás Maduro he can “do things the easy way or the hard way” as Venezuela’s authoritarian leader responded to the growing US pressure campaign by urging followers to prepare to defend “every inch” of the South American country.Clad in woodland camouflage fatigues, Maduro told a rally in the capital, Caracas, it was their historic duty to fight foreign aggressors, just as the Venezuelan liberation hero Simón Bolívar did two centuries ago. Continue reading...

Politics

46 h. ago Putin 'sends top general to Venezuela along with troops tasked with training up President Maduro's forces' as US considers attacking South American country

The revelation comes as the US continues to amass a huge military presence in the region, with Donald Trump considering an attack on the South American country.

Politics

69 h. ago Trump wants to talk directly to Maduro as military’s top officer arrives in Caribbean

Trump’s call for talks between the US and Venezuela comes as his administration allegedly planned to drop leaflets encouraging the usurpation of Maduro on the South American petrostate’s capital

Events

3 d. ago Oasis brings Live 25 Tour to an end in Brazil after 41 electrifying shows

The tour received unilateral praise and rave reviews across the UK, Ireland, North America, Asia, Australia and South America.

Society

4 d. ago Dua Lipa soaks up sun in holiday mode as she shows off bikini while on tour in Brazil

The British singer is currently in South America for her global Radical Optimism Tour - and she has been turning heads with her stunning pics from the trip

Politics

7 d. ago Cop30 conference centre evacuated as fire breaks out – as it happened

UN secretary-general António Guterres earlier used speech at Belem summit to urge countries to find compromises in final hours of negotiationsInside the halls of Cop30 you see people from all around the world, and it can be easy to forget that there are many people who remain unrepresented.On Thursday morning, Magne Tony was standing with compatriots from French Guiana outside the entrance to the conference centre, trying to push pieces of paper into the hands of arriving delegates and observers headed: “Our Amazon is dying”.The main problem is that France are in 9,000 kilometres from Amazonia, from South America, and they’re taking decisions. [But] they don’t really know what is the problem really. They’re taking the decisions from their own mind and the problem is that they’re far from reality.That’s why we decided to alert the people in the world about [our] problems: water coming up, getting enough to eat, more heat – in some parts of French Guiana, people don’t have water.These...

Events

7 d. ago Cop30 live: current climate pathway ‘a death sentence for many’, says UN secretary

António Guterres uses speech at Belem summit to urge countries to find compromises in final hours of negotiationsInside the halls of Cop30 you see people from all around the world, and it can be easy to forget that there are many people who remain unrepresented.On Thursday morning, Magne Tony was standing with compatriots from French Guiana outside the entrance to the conference centre, trying to push pieces of paper into the hands of arriving delegates and observers headed: “Our Amazon is dying”.The main problem is that France are in 9,000 kilometres from Amazonia, from South America, and they’re taking decisions. [But] they don’t really know what is the problem really. They’re taking the decisions from their own mind and the problem is that they’re far from reality.That’s why we decided to alert the people in the world about [our] problems: water coming up, getting enough to eat, more heat – in some parts of French Guiana, people don’t have water.These crises, a consequence of Wes...

Society

7 d. ago South Carolina woman charged with attempted murder after trying to terminate her pregnancy

South Carolina law allows abortions until cardiac activity is detected and up to 12 weeks for special circumstances such as rape or incest

Events

7 d. ago Liam Gallagher says future of Oasis is unclear in 'unfortunate' update to fans

Days before Oasis' hugely successful Live '25 world tour concludes in South America, Liam Gallagher has cast doubts over the band's plans for the immediate future

Politics

8 d. ago Florida man convicted raping and killing his former manager is set to be executed

A man convicted of raping and fatally beating his former manager at a Florida convenience store is set to be the 17th person executed in Florida this year

Events

8 d. ago Tributes paid to British woman who died in 'freak severe snowstorm' while hiking in South America

'She was adored by all who knew her'

Events

8 d. ago 'War on drugs' or political agitation? Assessing Trump's actions in Venezuela – video explainer

In August, Donald Trump started a campaign of aggression against Venezuela. The US president first launched airstrikes on alleged drug boats off the coast of the South American country – a move largely condemned as extrajudicial killings – then deployed US naval assets in the Caribbean. The Guardian's Latin America correspondent, Tom Phillips, explains why the claims the targeted boats were carrying drugs destined for the US are dubious and what Trump's actions could mean for the Venezuelan president, Nicolás MaduroVenezuela’s Maduro urges Trump to avoid Afghanistan-style ‘forever war’ Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago World Cup 2026: which countries have qualified and how did they do it?

We now know 42 of the 48 of the teams that will play next year, but for a host of teams the race goes on via playoffsAll nine of the automatic places have been filled by the nine group winners, with the four best runners-up – DR Congo, Gabon, Cameroon and Nigeria – competing in November’s playoffs in Morocco. Nigeria beat Gabon 4-1 in the first semi-final, while Cameroon fell to a last-gasp 1-0 defeat by DR Congo in the second tie. DR Congo upset Nigeria after a gripping penalty shootout in the final, and go through to represent Africa in the intercontinental playoffs in March.EgyptMohamed Salah scored twice as Hossam Hassan’s side beat Djibouti 3-0 in Casablanca in October and made up for missing out on Qatar 2022 by reaching the finals with a game in hand. This will be Egypt’s fourth finals, even though they have yet to win a game. Bizarrely, the Pharaohs did qualify for the first World Cup, in 1930, but missed their boat from Marseille to South America after a storm delayed them....

Politics

9 d. ago Arsenal line up transfer swoop for two wonderkids including star likened to Neymar

Arsenal are hard at work attempting to secure the next generation of talent from South America while also challenging at the top of the Premier League table under Mikel Arteta

Sport

9 d. ago Venezuela’s top opposition leader claims ‘new era’ is coming despite lack of clear plan

María Corina Machado pens a ‘freedom manifesto’ as plan to force Nicolás Maduro from power remains unclearVenezuela’s top opposition leader, the Nobel laureate María Corina Machado, has declared her country “at the edge of a new era” as Donald Trump refused to rule out a ground invasion to topple its authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, but also signalled he was open to talks.Machado, who has lived in hiding since her movement’s candidate was widely believed to have beaten Maduro in last year’s presidential election, made her claim in a “freedom manifesto” that was published on Tuesday as uncertainty continued to shroud the South American country’s future. Continue reading...

Politics